Sylvania



G.. A. LUTZ; ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYGI 1915.

Patented Sept. 9,1;1919; f

GI Al ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1915.

1,315,785.; A A "Patented Sept. 9,1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

a. LUTZ. ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYG, 916. '1 ,3153785. PatentedSept. 9, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

G. A. LUTZ.

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IULYG. 19I6.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

muc nr or 1:109.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

GEORGE A. LUTZ, OF GRANFORD,. NEW'JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CIRCULAR LOOM COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVAN'IA.

ELEOTROPLATIN'G APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

[0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Lurz, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cranford, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

An object of my invention is to provide improved means for rotating articles to be plated while in an electrolytic bath during plating, and a further object is to provide means whereby one or more articles may be hung suspended in such a bath while being rotated therein during plating.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cathode frame, that is adapted to be placed in operative position over an electroplating tank and to be removed from such position, with means to rotatively support and to rotate articles suspended from such a cathode frame and to permit ready connection of said rotating means with and the disconnection thereof from mechanism for actuating the same.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement and combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawings forming part hereof, wherein,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an electroplating apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view of one of the supports for the cathode frame;

Fig. 8 is a side view, looking from the top of Fig. 1, partly broken away;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail plan view, illustrating part of the article supporting and rotating devices of the cathode frame;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged. detail section on the line 5, 5, in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of part of the devices for rotating the articles to be plated;

Fig. 7 an enlarged sectional view substantially on the plane of the line 7,7, in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 8 is a detail view of supporting devices for an article to be plated, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail of Fig. 8.

slmilar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 indicates a tank, which may be of any suitable shape and dimensions, adapted to contain an electrolyte. At 2 are anodes which may be suspended in tank 1 in any suitable manner. I have shown the anodes provided with suspenders in the form of hooks 3 resting upon conductors 4, shown supported by brackets or bearings 5 secured upon beams 6 that rest upon the top of the tank. The conductors 4 are shown connected by branches 7" with conductors 7 that connect with conductor or wire 8 supported on the tank, to which one or more line conductors 9 lead from a suitable generator. A similar arrangement of parts 7, 7", 8 and 9 may be provided at opposite sides of the tank, and the line wires or conductors may be connected in multiple with one side of a generator. Any other suitable arrangement of conductors may be provided for connec- 'tion with the anodes. The beams 6 are shown spaced apart upon the tank, whereby spaced rows of anodes 2 are provided across the tanln In the spaces between the rows of such anodes thearticles 10 to be plated may be suspended. I have shown a cathode frame comprising spaced bars 11 and other bars 12 supported by the bars 11, the bars 12 being shown'spaced apart and at right angles to bars 11. The bars 11 and 12 may be secured together by bolts or inany other suitable manner. 'Means are provided for supporting the cathode frame separately from and abovebeams 6. I have shown posts 13 supported upon the floor outside of tank 1 and. extending above the latter, said posts being provided with conductive su ports or seats 14, that are shown in recessec form adapted to receive the corresponding bars 1-1 of the cathode frame, whereby the latter is supported. The supports or seats 14: may be connected in multiple by conductors 15 with the side of the generator opposite the connection therewith of the conductors 9, in a wellknown manner. The bars 12 of the cathode frame or spider are provided with hearings or bores 16 receiving shafts or spindles 17 from which the articles to be plated may be suspended. Said shafts are shown provided with supports, shown in the form of hooks 18, adapted to detachably sustain supporting devices, indicated at 19, for the articles or pipes 10. The devices 19 I have shown are adapted to enter the pipes and to be expanded therein for suspending the pipes to expose their full length in the bath, although any other suitable devices may be provided for supporting the articles according to the nature of the latter. I have shown the device 19 comprising an inner rod 20 (Figs. 8 and 9) having an'eye 21 to engage the hook 18 and provided with a tapering lower end at 20, the rod 20 being adapted to slide freely within sleeve 22 that is split at 22?. A bayonet slot 23 on sleeve 22 re eiving a pin 24 on rod 20 permits the sleeve to be sustained, as shown in Fig. 8, in a contracted condition on said rod. When" the article or pipe 10 is to be connected with a support 19 the latter is inserted in the pipe in the condition shown in Fig. 8,. and then by releasing sleeve 2-2 from pin 24 and moving the rod and sleeve relatively to each other the sleeve will be expanded within pipe 10 to suspend the latter as indicated in Fig. 9.

The shafts or spindles 17 are suitably spaced apart upon the bars 12 of the cathode frame in such manner that the hooks 18 i vided with crank pins 25, shown carried by disks 26 secured upon said shafts or spindles,

and to each series'of crank pins 25 of the corresponding cathode-frame bar 12 1 connect an operating member, such as a rod or bar 27, by means of corresponding apertures 28 in the members 27 receiving the respective crank 25. The members or bars 27 are respectively supported for reciprocative' movements in guides 29, which are secured on the corresponding bars 12. Said guides are shown provided with recesses or seats 29 (Fig. 5) upon which caps 29 are secured, whereby the members 27 are guided for reciprocative and the required lateral movements. I have shown means for reciprocating all of the members 27 simultaneously, whereby the cranks 25 will be correspondingly rotated. For such purpose each bar 12 of the cathode frame is provided with a bearing 30 receiving a shaft 31 (Fig. 7) carrying a crank pin shown arranged upon disk 26 secured upon the corresponding shaft 31. The shafts 31 with their crank pins are spaced apart along the corresponding bar 12 in order to communicate driving movement to the members 27 at opposite ends thereof. Along each bar 12 a shaft is journaled in suitable bearings 33, which shafts carry gears 34; in mesh with gears 35 secured upon the corresponding shafts 31 for rotating the latter. At 36 is a drive shaft shown extending along a bar 11 of the cathode frameand journaled in bearings 37 carried by said bar, which shaft is provided with gears 38 in mesh with gears 34 of the corresponding shaft 32. By the arrangements described, when shaft 36 is rotated the shafts 32 will be correspondingly rotated, and the shafts 32 with their gears 34 will rotate the corresponding gears 35 at opposite end of the respective bars 27 and thereupon as the crank pins 25 are rotated by the shafts 31, members 27 will be reciprocated in accordance with the rotation of said crank pins, and said members, by acting upon the crank pins 25, will cor respondingly rotate shafts or spindles 17 which in turn will rotate the articles 10 suspended from said shafts or spindles.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating shaft 36 when the cathode frame is resting upon the supports or seats 14 with tor 10 (Figs. 1 and 5). Motor 10 may be supported adjacent the tank in any suitable manner, such as upon one of the posts 13. The motor 40 is shown provided with a sprocket wheel adapted to operate a chain 41 that passes over a sprocket 42 011 a shaft 13 shown supported in a bearing 1 1 on a post 13. A coupling is shown having one of its members 45 upon shaft 36 and its members 45 connected with shaft 43, a spring 16 bearing against stop 47 on shaft 43 normally tending to retain the coupling members in engagement. A lever or arm 48, shown pivotally supported at 19, coacts with the stop 47 and may be operated to cause release and engagement of said clutch members.

In accordance with my improvements, the cathode frame may be elevated by any suitable means, such as by connection of a suitable tackle with a loop or hook 50 carried by the frame, and when the frame is suitably suspended the articles or pipes 10 to be plated, having been provided with a susscribed, through the gearing, will cause reciprocation of the several member or bars Elli 27, thereby causing rotation of shafts or spindles 17 and the articles suspended therefrom. During such rotation of the articles 10 the current will flow from the anodes, through the electrolyte, through the articles 10, thence through their suspending devices to the cathode frame, to the supports or seats 1st and thence on the line, it being understood that by making the cathode frame and the parts for suspending and rotating the articles 10 of metal, they will thereby all be .included in the circuit. By thus simul taneously rotating the series of articles 10 suspended in the electrolyte, an effective, expeditious, and substantially said articles may be effected, and the complete length of the articles, such as pipes,-

may be electroplated, including threads upon the ends of pipes. After a series of articles have been plated, it 1s merely necessary to disconnect shaft 36 from the mo-' tor, raise the cathode frame with the plated articles from the tank, and remove such articles, apply other articles to the frame, lower the frame over the tank, and proceed with the plating in manner before described. By means of my improvements I am enabled to plate a large number of pipes in a tank simultaneously, since the pipes may be suspended from the cathode frame in a position quite close together and in proper relation to anodes supported in the tank.

My invention is not limited to the details of construction set forth, as the same may be varied, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim is.'-

l. A cathode frame provided with a plurality of shafts spaced apart, said shafts being provided with cranks, a member cooperative with said cranks, means to reciprocate said member, and means to cause said shafts to axially rotate articles to be plated.

2. A cathode frame provided with a plurality of shafts s )aced apart, said shafts bemg provided witi cranks for axially rotating the shafts, a member cooperative with said cranks, means to reciprocate said memher, and means to suspend articles to be plated from said shafts whereby the articles will be axially rotated.

A cathode frame provided with a plurality of shafts spaced apart, said shafts belug provided with cranks, a member coactive with said cranks, a shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting said shaft with said member, and means to cause said first named shafts to rotate articles to be plated.

i. A. cathode frame provided with a plurality of shafts spaced apart, said shafts being provided with cranks, a member coactive with said cranks, a shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting even coating of connecting said electrolyte,

said shaft with said member, and means to suspend articles to be plated from said first named shafts.

5. A cathode frame provided with a plurality of shafts spaced apart, said shafts being provided with cranks, a member coactive with said cranks, a shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting said shaft with said member, a drive shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting said drive and second named shafts, and means to cause said first named shafts to rotate articles to be lated.

6. A cathode frame provide with a plurality of shafts spaced apart, said shafts being provided with cranks, a member coactive with said cranks, a shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting said shaft] with said member, a drive shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting said drive and second named shafts, and means for suspending articles to be plated from said first named shafts for rotating said articles.

7. A. cathode frame provided with a plurality of shafts spaced apart, said shafts being provided with cranks, a member coactive with said cranks, a shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively connecting said shaft with said member, a drive shaft carried by said frame, gearing operatively drive and second named shafts, and means to cause-said first named shafts to rotate articles to be plated, in combination with seats for said frame, a post carrying one of said seats, a motor carried by said post, and means to detachably connect said drive shaft to said motor when-the frame is supported by said seats.

8. A cathode frame comprising a plurality of spaced'bars, shafts rotatively spaced apart upon said bars, members operatively connected with the shafts of corresponding bars for rotating the shafts together, shafts supported bysaid bars, gearing operatively connecting said shafts with the correspond ing members of said bars, a drive shaft, gearing connecting the drive shaft with the second named shafts, and means to cause the first named I be plated.

9. A cathode frame comprising a plurality of spaced bars, shafts rotatively spaced apart upon said bars, members operatively connected with the shafts of corresponding bars for rotating the shafts together, shafts supported by said bars, connecting said shafts ing members of said gearing connecting the second named shafts, articles to be plated shafts.

10. The combination of a tank for an a cathode frame, posts outside gearing operatively bars, a drive shaft, drive shaft with the and means to suspend from said first named shafts to rotate articles to with the correspondof the tank having. seats to support said Beaver, and State of Pennsylvania, this frame removably over the tank, means to July 1, A. D. 1916. support articles 1n spaced relation from the frame for immerslon in the electrolyte in GEORGE LUTZ' 5 the tank, end rpeitns to axially rotatesaid Witnesses:

articles whlle wlthm the tank. DAVID M. COOPER,-

Signed at Ambridge, in the county of F. F. -MALI. 

